Competitor Teardown Kit
The Spartan hoplite helmet: Leonidas and the 300 holding the pass against an empire.
A framework to map what your competitors run and where they are exposed.
Study them, then go where they are not
Your competitors have already spent money testing ads, pages and prices. Most of what they run is public. A teardown turns that into two lists: what the market clearly responds to, and where every competitor is weak. You copy nothing. You find the opening.
Use only public information: their ads, pages, emails you receive after opting in with your own details, reviews and posts.
Step 1 · Pick who to study
| Type | Who | Why study them | Names |
|---|---|---|---|
| Direct | Same buyer, same kind of offer | They set the buyer's expectations | |
| Indirect | Same buyer, different fix | They compete for the same budget | |
| Aspirational | The leader in an adjacent market | They show where your market is heading |
Three to five competitors in total is enough. Go deep on each rather than skimming twenty.
Step 2 · Their ads
Open the public ad libraries (Meta Ad Library, Google Ads Transparency Center, TikTok Creative Center) and search each name. Ads that have been running for months are the ones most likely to be working; advertisers rarely keep paying for losers.
| Field | What to record |
|---|---|
| Running since | Start date; flag anything over 60 days |
| Hook | First line or first three seconds, word for word |
| Angle | Story, problem, mechanism, proof, offer |
| Format | Talking head, UGC, static, carousel, demo |
| Offer in the ad | Free guide, webinar, call, discount, trial |
| Landing page | Where the click goes |
| Number of versions | Many variations of one ad usually means it is a winner being scaled |
| Competitor | Longest-running hook | Angle | Format | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Step 3 · Walk their funnel
Click an ad, go through each step as a buyer would, and record what happens for two weeks after.
| Step | What they ask for | What they give | Friction or weak spot |
|---|---|---|---|
| Landing page | |||
| Opt-in or booking | |||
| Thank-you page | |||
| Emails, days 1 to 14 | |||
| Retargeting ads seen | |||
| Sales page or call |
Step 4 · Their offer and message
| Question | Competitor A | Competitor B | Competitor C |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main promise | |||
| Named mechanism | |||
| Price and payment options | |||
| Guarantee | |||
| Bonuses | |||
| Proof shown | |||
| Who they speak to | |||
| Tone |
Read their reviews
Sort their reviews by 2 and 3 stars. Write down every complaint that repeats. These are the promises they make and do not keep.
Repeated complaints: …Step 5 · The exposure map
Now mark where each competitor is open to attack. One strong gap is enough to build a position on.
| Exposure | How you spot it | How you use it |
|---|---|---|
| Vague promise | No number, no timeframe, no specific buyer | Make a specific, provable promise |
| Generic audience | Speaks to "business owners" | Speak to one niche by name |
| Weak follow-up | Few or no emails after opt-in | Out-follow-up them |
| Stale creative | Same ads for a long time, no new angles | Run the angles they have not tried |
| Thin proof | Logos and claims, no detail | Show full breakdowns and real numbers from your own work |
| No guarantee | Buyer carries all the risk | Take on the risk with a clear condition |
| Slow or hard to buy | Long forms, many calls before a price | Make yours simple and fast |
Your counter-position
What the market already responds to
Angles and offers that keep running across competitors: …Where they are all weak
The gap nobody covers well: …Your line
Unlike [category] that [shared weakness], I [your difference], so you [result]…Repeat the teardown every quarter. Competitors change, and the ads they stop running tell you as much as the ones they keep.
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